I had a meeting yesterday with two of Mister Man’s teachers about issues we’ve been having regarding schoolwork. Suffice it to say, he had months worth of work that he’d hidden and hadn’t done that he had to make up last weekend (and I have little to no sympathy for him), and I wanted to ensure that it didn’t happen again – and that we were all on the same page.

Interestingly, Mister Man didn’t do the work not because he was incapable of it – he’s a bright kid, and once we sat down to work on it, he plowed through it pretty quickly, not needing anything explained to him. He didn’t do it because he “didn’t have time.” Except that he did have time, had he chosen to use it. Not starting on any of it is my first clue that running out of time wasn’t the solution, and both teachers immediately responded to my email expressing my concerns.

They were on board with my thoughts and encouraged me to express my fears. And then – even better – they didn’t put down Mister Man. They didn’t turn it into a blame game. They didn’t get frustrated or angry. Instead, they looked to the future, and they had ideas. In a matter of minutes, they came up with a solution that we hope will help keep him on track with his assignments since the assignment notebook is obviously not working for him. I’m not sure I’m all on board, but they suggested we do a trial period to see how it goes. And I trust them.

Today, I’m headed to school for a meeting about Little Miss. She isn’t in trouble – which was, of course, my mom’s first concern. Instead, it’s for the results of her speech evaluation. We’ve been concerned with her stuttering for awhile now, but last year’s teacher brushed aside our concerns and refused to have her evaluated by the speech therapist saying that she was completely normal. This year’s teacher brought her concerns up to us at conferences in October, and an eval was immediately scheduled. She also is blessed with a wonderful teacher.

Needless to say, I have my fingers crossed that they continue to have outstanding teachers. It got me thinking about the teachers I had growing up and how they helped and molded me. There are four that truly stick out in my mind as outstanding, and they all had similar characteristics….

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Michelle Foodie + Mom + Blogger

is a foodie living in Chicago with her two wee ones, Mister Man who is 13 and Little Miss who is her 11 year old daughter. You can reach her via email michelle.frg (at) gmail.com. Though technically a SAHM, staying at home doesn’t seem to be in the job description! You’ll find her in the kitchen, playing with some new technology or gadget, or doing her best to satisfy her wanderlust ...learn more